In an incident, which has stunned many and made them question the kind of treatment women face in several parts of the country, a public representative belonging to the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) kicked a woman over a land dispute on Sunday, June 17.
The altercation took place at the Nizamabad district of Telangana and was caught on camera.
The video, which has now gone viral, shows I Gopi, the president of Dharpally Mandal (a rural local body), kicking the woman on her chest, after she hit him with her footwear. The woman, identified as A Rajavva is then seen falling on the ground, while Gopi is tackled by one of her relatives.
What was the dispute?
Rajavva and her relatives bought land in Telangana from Gopi for Rs 33 lakh about 10 months ago. However, the seller has still not handed over the possession of the land and is instead demanding an additional Rs 50 lakh and even threatening the woman, reported Press Trust of India.
The issue has been reportedly been going on for a while, and the two parties had even had an altercation last week. However, when Gopi refused to relent, the family visited his residence to protest. When Gopi once again refused to listen, Rajavva is said to have lost her cool and hit him with her footwear, after which Gopi kicked her.
The woman then approached the police and a case has been registered against Gopi under IPC sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation).
The police also confirmed that Gopi had been demanding an additional Rs 50 lakh ""in view of rise in land rates in the area."
Gopi too is said to have filed a complaint against the woman and her relatives alleging that they had trespassed into his property and caused damage. An investigation into the altercation has been launched and the police said that action will be taken once the matter becomes clear.
